Homeowner interviews are an important source of important information for system design. They can help with collecting the following useful information:
Contractors should discuss the homeowner's needs and any concerns with their existing system. For example, some homeowners may wish to reduce heating and/or cooling costs associated with main living areas of their homes. For them, the main tradeoff is between initial cost and savings, and comfort in the less used or isolated zones. Other homeowners may desire a whole home system or a system for an isolated zone.
Planned or recent home retrofits can have a significant impact on the sizing of an ASHP. New heating and ventilation equipment or building enclosure changes impact the heating and cooling requirements of a building and can result in incorrect heat pump sizing if they are not considered. Contractors should discuss recent or future building changes with homeowners to ensure that any and all modifications will be accounted for in the heating and cooling load calculations.
Contractors should discuss the intended space usage (e.g. guest suite, media room, home office), average number of occupants and occupancy patterns, and zoning requirements as these factors may impact the home's heating and cooling loads and the proposed system design.
Contractors should also discuss the comfort level provided by the existing HVAC system and if there are any health problems that may require special consideration as part of the design and installation of the ASHP system (e.g. special type of filtration).
Based on the information gathered from discussions of the above-mentioned items, contractors should further discuss design considerations and viable system options to select from.